UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 4

The Honorable Phil Bryant Governor ofMississippi P.O. Box 139 Jackson , Mississippi 39205
Dear Governor Bryant: ATLANTA F EDERAL CENTER 61 FORSYTH STREET ATLANTA , GEORGIA 30303-8960 

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Thank you for your updated recommendations dated September 18 , 2015 , on ai r quality designations for the State of Mississippi for the 2010 revision to the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for su lfur dioxide (S02). Reducing leve l s of S02 pollution is an important part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's commitment to a clean, healthy env ironment. Exposure to S02 can cause a range of adverse health effects, including narrowing of the airways which can cause difficulty breathing and increased asthma sympto m s. This letter is to notify you of the EPA's preliminar y intentions regarding your recommended designations.
On June 3 , 20 10 , the EPA st rengthened the health-based or " primary " standard for S0 2 by establishing a standard for 1-hour average S02 co n centrations at a level of 75 parts per billion. Within 1 year after a new or revised standard is establ i shed, th e Clean Air Act requires the Governor of each state to submit to the EPA a list of all areas in the state , with recommendations for whether each area meets the standard. Through an interactive process , the EPA considers the recommendations and then promulgates designations for all areas across the cou ntry. On July 25 , 20 1 3 , th e EPA designated 29 areas in 16 states as nonattainment , but did not at that time designate other areas
. Pursuant to a March 2 , 2015 , co urtordered schedule, 1 the EPA must complete the remaining S02 designations by three spec ific deadlines: July 2 , 2016 , December 3 1 , 2017 , and December 31,2020.
This current round of designations , to be completed by July 2 , 2016 , addresses two groups of areas: (1) areas that have newly monitored vio lations of the 2010 S0 2 NAAQS based on the most recent th r ee calendar years of cert ifi ed monitored ambient air quality data, and (2) areas that conta in any stationary source that had not been anno un ced as of March 2, 2015 , for retirement and that according to the EPA's Air Markets Database emitted in 2012 e ither: (i) more than 16 , 000 tons ofS02 or (ii) more than 2,600 tons ofS02 with an annual average emission rate of at least 0.45 pounds ofS02/ mmBTU.

1 Sie rra Club v. McCarthy, No

. 3 -1 3-cv

- 3953 (SI) (N.D. Cal. Mar. 2 , 2015).

In ternet Add ress (UR L ) • http ://www.epa

. go v R ecycled/Recycl ab l e • Pri n te d with Vege t able Oil Based I n ks on Recycl ed Paper (M i nimum 30 % Postcons u mer)After carefully considering Mississippi ' s recommendations and other availab le technical information , the EPA intends to designate as unclassifiab le/attainm ent the following areas , including the following counties or portions of counties:
Intended Unclassifiable/ Attainment Area Lamar Co unty Intended Unclassifiable/ Attainment Area Counties Lamar County

The enclosed Technical Support Docum e nt provides a detailed analysis that supports our intended designation decisions. If your State has add ition a l information that the EPA should consider prior to finalizing these designations , p lease s ubmi t it to us by April 19 , 2016. We also will be publishing a notice in the Federal Register announ cing a 30-day period for the public to provide input on the EPA ' s intended designation decisions. We will promulgate the designation for this area by July 2 , 2016. We wi ll designate a ll other previously undesignated areas in the State on a schedule consistent with the prescribed timing of the co urt orde r, i. e. , by December 31, 20 17 , or December 31, 2020.
We look forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staff as Vfe work together to comp lete the area designations and implement the 2010 primary S02 standard. For additional information regarding designations under the S0 2 standard , please visit our website at www.epa.gov /

so2designation s . Shou ld you have a ny questions , please do not hesitate to call me, or have your staff contact Beverly H. Banister, Director, Air , Pesticides and Toxics Management Division at (404) 562

- 9070 or banister.beverly @ epa. gov.

Enclosure

cc: Mr. Gary Rikard , Ex ecutive Director Sincerely ,

## r=--- Heather McTeer

# fc:;;/**~** Re gional Administrator

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Dallas Baker, Chief Air Division , Office of Pollution Control , MDEQ
Janet G. McCabe , Act in g Ass istant Admin istrator for Air and Radiation Stephen D. Page , Director, Office of A ir Quality Planning and Standards